Department for Transport

Aviation: Emergencies

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many flights have declared an emergency in UK air space in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: In accordance with Regulation (EU) No 376/2014, safety-related events which endanger or which, if not corrected or addressed, could endanger an aircraft, its occupants or any other person have to be reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Regulation requires that the reporting, analysis and follow-up to such occurrences remain confidential. However, the Regulation does permit information to be released on request to interested parties that have a genuine safety related need for the information. An application can be made at www.caa.co.uk/srg1605.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Iron and Steel

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will use UK-produced steel for the HS2 project.

Grant Shapps: The Government’s guidance on the procurement of steel was published in November 2015 and subsequently updated in December 2016. All major government projects are required to take cognisance of the Crown Commercial Service Procurement Policy Note 11/16: “Procuring Steel in Major Projects - Revised Guidance” (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-1116-procuring-steel-in-major-projects-revised-guidance ). Whilst HS2 Ltd. does not directly buy steel, it does apply a strategic and transparent approach to the sourcing of steel for the HS2 Programme through its Tier 1 contractors and their supply chains. HS2 Ltd ensures a fair procurement process which complies with UK procurement law and the Government policy on the procurement of steel.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

Robert Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of the proposals for a mined tunnel in Wendover; and if he will publish the results of that assessment.

Grant Shapps: The Wendover Mined Tunnel was considered in detail during the passage of the Phase One Bill in both the Commons and Lords committees. Cost comparisons of the consented scheme and the tunnelled alternatives were considered in evidence to both committees during the Bill process and the primary conclusion was that the now consented scheme would be less expensive than the tunnelled alternatives. Since then, DfT officials and HS2 Ltd have been challenged by Wendover Parish Council and your predecessor, Sir David Lidington, over these decisions and have presented further reports by OTB and Michael Byng (mbpc) challenging the consented scheme. In each instance, it has been concluded that the Wendover Mined Tunnel would be harder to construct, is costlier and involves a significantly greater degree of risk to the consented scheme. The Department and HS2 Ltd remain convinced that the Select Committee made the right decision when they accepted that there was a significant difference in cost between the mined alternative schemes and concluded that the HS2 Ltd scheme should be retained. Even if the alternative mined schemes were broadly comparable in these respects, the subsequent costs of seeking legislative consent for the detailed design change and the consequential cost of delaying the introduction of HS2 services do not represent good value for money or an effective use of public money.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

Robert Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the hydrological effect of the construction of the green tunnel at Wendover on the potential risk of flooding in Aylesbury.

Grant Shapps: The Environmental Statement assessed the impact of the scheme on Water Resources (Volume 5 WR-002-010) in the Wendover area and specifically the impact of the green tunnel construction on water receptors. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140613022805/http://assets.dft.gov.uk/hs2-environmental-statement/volume-5/water/vol5_CFA10_Water_resources_and_flood_risk_ass_Water_resources_assessment_WR-002-010.pdf HS2 Ltd advises that the scheme is now entering the detailed design phase. My officials will respond to you shortly with further details on this matter.

High Speed Two

Robert Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that valid compensation claims by (a) residents and (b) businesses are paid on time and in full by HS2 Ltd.

Grant Shapps: The High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) 2017 Act sets out the compensation arrangements for the compulsory purchase and temporary possession of land and property on Phase One of the route. The Secretary of State has also introduced a range of statutory and non-statutory property compensation schemes across the three phases of HS2 to support people and businesses affected by the programme. In applying all the property compensation schemes, HS2 Ltd aims to ensure that the compensation arrangements adhere to the Compensation Code. The Code provides for the payment of fair compensation to property owners whose land is acquired as part of HS2.HS2 Ltd applies the standards set out in the Compensation Code and its own internal targets for the payment and completion of compensation claims. Their performance is monitored and overseen by the HS2 Ltd Executive in accordance with the published HS2 Development Agreement and the HS2 Ltd Framework Document. However, as the Prime Minister announced earlier this month, going forwards, there will be changes to the way HS2 is managed. A Minister will be given the full-time job to oversee the project and I am clear of the need for the Company to continue to raise its game in how it treats communities affected by the project along its line of route.

Department of Transport: Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years.

Grant Shapps: The Civil Service aims to increase opportunities for people of all backgrounds and create a Civil Service fit for 21st century Britain through work experience, internships and apprenticeship schemes. For people aged 16 years and over there was the following number of work experience placements offered through the Summer Diversity (SDIP) and Autism Exchange (AEP) Internship Programmes, and the Fast Stream Early Talent Work Experience Social Mobility Programme (FSET). PeriodSDIPAEPFSET*2017102No data available2018142620191115 *FSET is also open to 15 year olds.

*No heading*

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the announcement of 4 February 2020 by the Sustainable Aviation Group on ensuring UK aviation meets a net zero target by 2050, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to a wider range of production methods.

Grant Shapps: As acknowledged and welcomed in the “Sustainable Aviation Fuels Road-Map”, announced by the Sustainable Aviation coalition on 4 February, the Government is encouraging the production and use of sustainable alternative aviation fuels in the UK by making these eligible for reward under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).  The Department is considering the aviation industry’s request to extend the scope of the RTFO to include Recycled Carbon Fuels (RCFs), which is repeated in the “Sustainable Aviation Fuels Road-Map”. RCFs are fuels produced from fossil wastes that cannot be reused, recycled or avoided. The Department has commissioned two independent research reports to examine the potential greenhouse gas savings that RCFs could achieve. These are “Low carbon fossil fuels sustainability risks and accounting methodology” published in January 2018 and “Work Package 1-743 Waste Disposal Outcomes and Diversion Impacts” published in August 2019. Further to this research, the Department is developing a greenhouse gas assessment methodology for RCFs and have engaged on this with industry representatives. The Department hopes to consult later this year on legislative proposals.

Department for Education

Apprentices

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote apprenticeships in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK.

Nick Gibb: We have introduced a wide range of reforms to apprenticeships to improve their quality and to encourage employers across England to increase the number of apprenticeships they offer.Since May 2010, there have been 4,392,000 starts in England. Of these, 6,930 apprenticeships starts have been in Haltemprice and Howden and 535,420 in Yorkshire and the Humber.We are raising the profile of our apprenticeship programme through wider communications and marketing activity. The third phase of the Fire it Up campaign was launched in January, targeting important audience groups that are central to widening participation in apprenticeships.Our thirteenth annual National Apprenticeship Week took place this month (3 to 9 February). Nearly 900 events were held across the country to celebrate and promote the diversity and value that apprenticeships bring to employers, apprentices and communities across England today.In addition, in January 2018, we introduced a legal requirement for schools to give colleges or other organisations providing further education or training, the opportunity to make pupils aware about technical qualifications and apprenticeships.We also offer a free service to schools through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) project to ensure that teachers have the knowledge and support to enable them to promote apprenticeships to their students. In the last academic year, the ASK Programme reached over 300,000 students.We are investing £2.5 billion in apprenticeships this year (2019-20) so that employers of all sizes across England can provide apprenticeship opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. We are moving smaller employers onto our award-winning apprenticeship service to give them a greater choice of where their apprentices are trained, and so that they can also benefit from transferred funds from levy payers. Levy transfers can help to support new starts in supply chains and address local skills needs.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Paternity Leave

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps she is taking to improve access to paternity leave.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is committed to maintaining and enhancing workers’ rights, and to supporting people to balance their work and caring responsibilities. We recently consulted on parental leave and pay reform, including Paternity Leave and Pay through a survey of approximately 3,300 parents, we are also collecting data on various parental leave and pay policies, including barriers and enablers to take-up. We will publish the consultation response and survey findings in due course.The Government is committed to making the UK the best place to work and grow a business. As announced in the Queen’s Speech, we will bring forward an Employment Rights Bill to deliver the greatest reform of workers’ rights in over 20 years.

Innovate UK: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of Innovate UK core funding has been awarded to (a) SMEs, (b) large companies and (c) academia in each year since 2010, by sector.

Amanda Solloway: The table below includes grants offered to organisations within the three categories requested. This does not provide an industry sector breakdown as this information is not recorded.  10/1111/1212/1313/1414/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/20Academic21%17%14%14%13%15%13%13%13%13%Large28%24%37%18%14%15%11%14%10%7%SME48%57%46%63%66%60%68%68%69%70% Totals will not sum to 100% due to organisations outside of these categories. This also excludes funding for the Knowledge Transfer Network, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Catapults and other Centres, and grants provided through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, the Newton fund, and through programmes managed by institutes. The figures for 2019 to 2020 show funding at the time of the question rather than final year-end figures. These are subject to change as the current financial year has not yet concluded.

Innovate UK: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of project collaborators in Innovate UK core funding grants awarded to Higher Education Institutions were (a) SMEs and (b) large companies in each sector in each year since 2010.

Amanda Solloway: The table below describes the proportion of Innovate UK projects that have an academic partner with either a large business or SME. As some projects will involve both large businesses and SMEs, the percentages will not add up to 100%. This does not provide an industry sector breakdown as this information is not recorded. The figures for 2019 to 2020 show funding at the time of the question rather than final year-end figures. These are subject to change as the current financial year has not yet concluded.  10/1111/1212/1313/1414/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/20Proportion Large46%45%63%50%47%47%36%34%22%29%Proportion SME80%76%68%86%86%83%89%85%85%79%

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in her Department in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UN Mission in Darfur

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the UK is providing to the UNAMID peacekeeping mandate in Sudan; and what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of that mandate.

James Duddridge: As a member of the UN Security Council the UK has a long-standing role in supporting sustainable peace in those areas of Sudan where UN peacekeeping missions are in place (Darfur and Abyei). This includes the UK's commitment to funding peacekeeping missions globally through the "assessed contribution" system and our role as the penholder, alongside Germany, on the mandate for the UN/African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID). This work has helped to ensure that the peacekeeping presence addresses the needs on the ground. We also welcomed the UN Security Council decision to extend the UNAMID mandate until 31 October while options for any future presence are developed. We continue to work with the UN, AU and the Government of Sudan to consider the appropriate scope of UN support to Darfur and Sudan.We commend the role that UNAMID has played in the protection of civilians in Darfur since its creation in 2007 and its work to assist in bringing stability to the region. One of the largest factors influencing the effectiveness of the UNAMID mandate and its implementation has been the approach of the Government of Sudan. This has seen significant shifts since the revolution of 2019, including progress in peace talks on Darfur. We are encouraged by the recently appointed civilian-led government's pledge to facilitate unfettered access across Sudan, including in Darfur, for the UN. We remain concerned of reports that this has not been consistently implemented and continue to make clear the importance of unfettered access across Sudan for humanitarian actors and the UN at the highest levels.We welcome the priority the civilian-led government of Sudan has given to securing a peace deal for Darfur, and the progress made in talks in Juba with armed opposition groups. Addressing the long-term drivers of conflict will contribute to the success of Sudan's transition to democracy and economic recovery. As a leading donor the UK is working closely with the civilian-led government and international partners to support implementation of the reforms needed to ensure that transition benefits all Sudanese.

UN Mission in South Sudan

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affiars, what support his Department provides to the UNMISS peacekeeping mandate in South Sudan; and what assessment his department has made of the effectiveness of that mandate.

James Duddridge: The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) mandate is due for renewal by 15 March. We will continue to work with UN Security Council members to ensure this is extended and that the mission continues to have a mandate that focuses on: protection of civilians; human rights; peace process support; and humanitarian aid delivery. We continue to assess that these core tasks remain relevant and important, including as the peace process moves into the next phase if a government of national unity forms by the 22 February deadline.As a member of the UN Security Council, the UK has a long-standing role in supporting the peace process in South Sudan and supporting UNMISS. This includes the UK's commitment to funding peacekeeping missions globally through contributed funds of £51.45m (in FY 2018/19) and circa 300 UK peacekeepers who have provided medical and engineering support to UNMISS since 2016.Successes of the UK military contribution includes the building of a UN hospital in Bentiu, the upgrading of 15km of road used to deliver vital food and aid, as well as making a wider contribution to UN peacekeeping reform. In particular we commend the role that UNMISS and its leadership have played in the protection of civilians in South Sudan, and supporting both to human rights work and the peace process.One of the largest factors influencing the effectiveness of the UNMISS mandate and its implementation has been the approach and the political will of the Government of South Sudan and opposition groups. The number of access issues has reduced since the signing of the 2018 peace agreement, but we are concerned by continued denials of access and hope this will improve as the peace agreement is implemented in full. Through our bilateral engagement we continue to make clear at the highest levels the importance of unfettered access across South Sudan for humanitarian actors and the UN.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Government (a) Departments and (b) non-departmental public bodies are involved in formulating the response to the Coronavirus.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has requested assistance from the EU to fly UK citizens back from China since the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the management of the  Coronavirus.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to raise public awareness of how to prevent the transmission of the Coronavirus in the UK.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) staff and (b) equipment required to respond to the Coronavirus.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the additional funding required by the NHS to respond to the Coronavirus.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus in the UK.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Government's Coronavirus public health campaign, launched on 1 February 2020.

Jo Churchill: We have launched a public information campaign, setting out how every member of the public can help to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom by taking simple steps to minimise the risk to themselves and their families: washing hands and using tissues when they sneeze, just as they would with flu.We also have posters up at every international airport advising travellers on what to do should they develop symptoms, and we provide regularly updated guidance for the public at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-publicThe Department works closely with Public Health England and NHS England in all aspects of our response. We have also been working across government and with our partners in the devolved administrations since the beginning of the outbreak. We have coordinated cross governmental Ministerial and officials’ meetings to ensure and formulate a coherent response. These include the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Transport, Foreign Office and Home Office amongst many others.We have collaborated with European Union partners on repatriation flights. 11 UK entitled persons were repatriated on a French flight and we have helped to bring a number of Spanish nationals out of Wuhan on the first of our two repatriation flights.We are also in regular contact with colleagues in the EU through meetings such as the Global Health Security Initiative and the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS).Public Health England ensure that someone with coronavirus does not put others at risk by treating them in isolation and carefully investigating who they had close contact with. The Department has made £40 million available to fund Covid-19 related research and speed up the development of a vaccine. However, as the incident remains ongoing it is too early to state the total cost to the public purse and more broadly the number of staff and or equipment required to respond to the incident.

Cancer: Buckinghamshire

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve waiting times for cancer treatment in Buckinghamshire.

Jo Churchill: Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to improving survival rates for cancer and we have committed to the new 28-day faster diagnosis waiting times standard. Implementation in all trusts including Buckinghamshire, subject to Government approval, is planned from spring 2020.Buckinghamshire is included in plans to develop Rapid Diagnostic Service models as part of the Long Term Plan for Thames Valley to improve and speed up cancer diagnostics and patient experience. During 2019, they established a non-site specific (also referred to as vague symptom) pathway for general practitioners (GPs) with Buckinghamshire NHS Trust to fast track such patients.Cancer is a priority for this Government and in October 2018 we announced a package of measures that will be rolled out across the country with the aim of seeing three quarters of all cancers detected at an early stage by 2028 (currently just over half). This is part of the Long Term Plan for the National Health Service and forms part of how the Government will achieve its ambition to see 55,000 more people surviving cancer for five years in England each year from 2028.The Long Term Plan is available at the following link:https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/

Prescription Drugs

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) tackle the over-prescribing of medicines and (b) ensure reviews of prescriptions are carried out for people who have been on medication for prolonged periods of time.

Jo Churchill: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked Dr Keith Ridge, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, to carry out a review into overprescribing of medicines.The review is due to report in spring 2020. It will align with and build on the emerging Medicine Safety Programme and Public Health England’s independent review into ‘dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines’, published in September 2019, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prescribed-medicines-review-report To support appropriate prescribing, the 2020/21 GP contract will introduce new requirements for primary care networks (PCNs) to undertake Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs), which will help to address overprescribing of medicines. From 1 April 2020, each PCN will use appropriate tools to identify and prioritise patients who would benefit from an SMR.

Learning Disability: Diagnosis

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with intellectual disability are not wrongly diagnosed as having dementia.

Helen Whately: Diagnosis for dementia is only undertaken by clinical professionals. For example, a general practitioner (GP) in the first instance. If the GP is unsure about the diagnosis, they will refer the individual to a specialist for further tests.To help promote and maintain best practice for diagnosing dementia, and ensure accurate diagnoses, NHS England has developed and published guidance aimed at GPs and practice nurses, as well as guidance on what good quality assessment and dementia diagnosis looks like. The guidance is available at the following links: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/dementia-revealed-toolkit.pdfhttps://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/implementation-guide-and-resource-pack-dementia-guide.pdf

Coronavirus

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of NHS preparednessfor an outbreak of the coronavirus in the UK.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom is extremely well prepared for these types of outbreaks – we are one of the first countries in the world to develop a test for the new virus. The National Health Service is always ready to provide world class care to patients whether they have a common illness, or an infectious disease never seen here before.The NHS has expert teams in every ambulance service and a number of specialist hospital units with highly trained staff and equipment ready to receive and care for patients with any highly infectious disease. Since April 2013, NHS England has commissioned a total of 15 adult respiratory extra corporeal membrane oxygenation beds from five providers in England, with further provision in Scotland. In periods of high demand, capacity can be increased.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additionalfunding is being allocated to NHS trusts in preparation for a potentialoutbreak of the coronavirus.

Jo Churchill: We are investing £40 million in vaccine research, are working with international efforts on therapeutics, as well as the immediate launch of a capital facility to support any urgent works the National Health Service needs for the coronavirus response, such as the creation of further isolation areas and other necessary facilities. The United Kingdom is also ramping up efforts to fund ground-breaking research into vaccines, diagnostics and cures to fight against the threat of future viruses.

Diabetes: Skin Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have a diagnosis of diabetic bullous.

Jo Churchill: This information is not held centrally.

Diabetes: Health Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of diabetes among (a) young people and (b) the general public.

Jo Churchill: The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) is a partnership between NHS England and NHS Improvement, Diabetes UK and Public Health England and works closely together to raise awareness of diabetes with patients, public and healthcare professionals.Diabetes UK provide the ‘patient voice’ for the programme by leading on user involvement activities and ensuring the programme is tailored to service users’ needs.One output of the NDPP has been an annual Diabetes Prevention Week, which NHS England and NHS Improvement, Diabetes UK and Public Health England run as a joint campaign, undertaking a range of targeted activity to raise awareness of type 2 diabetes, the complications associated with the condition and how to prevent it.In March 2016, Public Health England (PHE) launched One You, a campaign targeted at men and women aged 40-60 to encourage them to make healthy changes such as increasing physical activity, improving diet, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption, to reduce the risk of conditions such as diabetes.Additionally, PHE’s Change4Life campaign encourages families across England to ‘eat well, move more’. Type 2 diabetes is highlighted in the campaign as a potential health consequence of poor diet and inactivity.

Aortic Dissection: Diagnosis

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate diagnosis of Aortic Dissection at A&E departments.

Jo Churchill: We recognise that accurate and rapid assessment of suspected acute aortic dissection is crucial. Computerised tomography plays a central role in the diagnosis to allow expedited management and all acute hospitals with emergency departments have the capacity to make the diagnosis.NHS England and NHS Improvement are aware of the findings of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch’s recent investigation into delayed recognition of acute Aortic Dissection, and these recommendations have been included in the actions being taken forward with hospitals.NHS England and NHS Improvement Specialised Commissioning is progressing the Thoracic Aortic Dissection service specification and have identified resource to support this as one of the priorities within the Specialised Vascular Clinical Group work programme.It should also be noted that the NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Getting It Right First Time Cardiothoracic Review recommended that acute aortic syndrome patients are only operated on by rotas of acute aortic syndrome specialist teams. This is being actioned across cardiac and vascular teams. The NHS England and NHS Improvement Specialised Cardiac Improvement Programme has developed a guide and toolkit to support implementation with the first Region rolling out from April 2020.

Carers: Young People

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of GP practices who have adopted the care for young carers package launched by NHS England.

Helen Whately: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Minister of State for Care (Caroline Dinenage MP) gave to the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon MP) on 4 February 2020 to Question 8280.

Hinckley Hospital: X-rays

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on returning X-ray facilities to Hinckley hospital.

Edward Argar: X-ray facilities will be returning to Hinckley and District Hospital to provide much needed services to the local population, after funding was secured from University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.In addition, the local area will benefit from the Government’s £7 million sustainability and transformation partnerships capital investment to refurbish Hinckley Health Centre, which includes works to accommodate diagnostics (x-ray and ultrasound) machines.

Department of Health and Social Care: Offshore Funds

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department monitors the cash held by its subsidiaries in offshore bank accounts; and how frequently those subsidiaries report those balances to his Department.

Edward Argar: The majority of subsidiaries in the Department are owned by NHS Providers, while Porton Biopharma Ltd (PBL) is a private limited company wholly owned by the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Health.Public Health England oversees the management of Porton Biopharma Ltd and monitors the cash held by PBL at its monthly Board meetings. The only bank account used by PBL is held with the Government Banking Service.NHS England and NHS Improvement collect monthly information from NHS Providers, including cash held by subsidiaries which are consolidated into the Provider Group accounts. Subsidiaries are not shown separately, and do not contain analysis of offshore bank accounts.

Carers: Older People

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support carers who are over 80 years old.

Helen Whately: In June 2018 we published the cross-Government Carers Action Plan 2018-2020 which includes commitments from across Government to support the health and wellbeing of all carers, including those over 80.We have also commissioned a piece of work through the Health and Wellbeing Alliance which looks at supporting carers to make plans for a future where they may be less able to care. A report and resources will be published in the spring.

Hospitals: Discharges

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients have timely access the care require to leave hospital in order to ease pressure on the NHS from delayed discharge from hospital.

Edward Argar: The Department is clear that no one should stay in a hospital bed longer than necessary. The jointly set Better Care Fund (BCF) plans focus on reducing delayed transfers of care (DToCs). All local health and care systems must adopt the centrally-set expectations for reducing or maintaining rates of DToC during 2019-20 in their BCF plans.The Government provided £240 million in 2019-20, pooled in the BCF, to support local health and care systems to manage demand pressures on the National Health Service. This includes interventions that support people to be discharged from hospital to access the appropriate social care to help promote their independence.The last available published figures for delayed transfers are for December performance. These show that since the peak in February 2017, there has been a reduction in the average number of delayed days per day of over 1,800.

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the October 2019 report of The Independent Commission for Aid Impact on mutual prosperity, what steps he is taking to ensure that Official Development Assistance spending across all Departments (a) remains focused on (i) poverty alleviation, (ii) developing and least developed countries and (iii) and leaving no one behind and (b) is fully transparent and accountable.

James Duddridge: The UK is a global champion for aid spending and humanitarian relief. As the Independent Commission for Aid Impact report highlights, this Government is building mutually beneficial partnerships that go wider than aid, towards the trade and business relationships that can deliver quality investment, drive growth and create the jobs that developing countries need to lift millions out of poverty. The aim is to build self-sustaining economies that can generate their own financing through increased tax revenue and private investment. This approach to international development is a key example of how the government is bringing together all our capabilities to end extreme poverty. To support this, DFID is working with other government departments to ensure all Official Development Assistance meets the requirements of the International Development Act and the Government’s transparency commitment.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Finance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will allocate an adequate level of funding to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to provide for stronger health systems.

Wendy Morton: The UK is proud to be hosting the Gavi Replenishment Conference on 3-4th June, to secure Gavi the funds it needs to immunise 300 million more children and save at least 7 million lives between 2021 and 2025. We recognise the importance of the UK’s funding to Gavi; our £1.44 billion of support to Gavi between 2016-2020 has saved 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases in 68 of the world’s poorest countries. The UK’s commitment to Gavi is also central to our work to end preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030. Gavi’s next strategic period is critically important for the UK as we work together to improve intra-country equity and coverage. Immunisation is often a child’s first point of contact with their health service. By extending routine immunisation to reach the underserved, particularly zero-dose children who have never been vaccinated, Gavi is building a foundation for stronger national health systems. The UK will also prioritise ensuring our investment in Gavi is sustainable by supporting countries to effectively transition from Gavi support to increased domestic funding.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on ensuring that universal health coverage is central to the replenishment period and strategy review with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Wendy Morton: Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) is a UK priority and an overarching goal for DFID’s contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The UK’s £1.44 billion of support to Gavi between 2016-2020 has saved 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases in 68 of the world’s poorest countries. The UK is proud to be hosting the Gavi Replenishment Conference on 3-4th June, to secure Gavi the funds it needs to immunise 300 million more children and save at least 7 million lives between 2021 and 2025. The UK’s commitment to Gavi is central to our work to end preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030. In its next strategic period, Gavi is committed to reaching every child with essential vaccines, to improve intra-country equity and coverage. Immunisation is often a child’s first point of contact with their health service. By extending routine immunisation to reach the underserved, particularly zero-dose children who have never been vaccinated, Gavi is building a foundation for UHC.

Developing Countries: Children

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of funding replenishment for (a) Gavi, (b) the Vaccine Alliance and (c) Nutrition for Growth on ending preventable child deaths by 2030.

Wendy Morton: The UK’s ambition to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030 is supported by our commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and addressing malnutrition through Nutrition for Growth. The UK’s £1.44 billion of support to Gavi between 2016-2020 has saved 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases in 68 of the world’s poorest countries. The UK-hosted pledging conference for Gavi on 3-4th June 2020 is an opportunity for the UK to use its global leadership to secure Gavi the funds it needs to immunise 300 million more children and save at least 7 million lives between 2021 and 2025. The 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit will be an important opportunity to secure new commitments to nutrition, to set the world on a better track to achieve the Global Goals and to help achieve our ambition of ending preventable deaths by 2030.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Renewable Energy

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what official development assistance his Department is allocating to the production of sustainable energy in sub-Saharan Africa.

James Duddridge: DFID has a substantial and growing portfolio of programmes supporting sustainable energy in Africa.This includes providing finance for off-grid energy systems to reach the rural poor in Africa, technical assistance to improve African countries’ renewable energy policies, and investing in clean energy research and innovation such as the Faraday Battery Challenge and the Ayrton Fund.CDC, the UK’s development finance institution, also invests in sustainable energy companies, for example in the world’s largest pay-as-you-go solar company, Kenya’s M-Kopa Solar, as well as Mettle Solar in South Africa, and PEG in Ghana.The commitment that the UK will double its spend on international climate finance to £11.6 billion by 2026 will lead to increased UK commitment to the provision of sustainable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Freehold: Fees and Charges

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to protect freeholders against service charges and other fees and charges.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. The Government is aware that homeowners could be subject to a possession order or the granting of a lease of their home by the rentcharge owner over rentcharge arrears. As part of our leasehold reform work, we are moving forward with legislation to repeal Section 121 of the Law of Property Act 1925 to ensure homeowners are not subjected to unfair possession orders.Furthermore, where people pay estate rentcharges, it is not right that these homeowners have limited rights to challenge these costs. That is why the Government intends to legislate to give freeholders on private and mixed-tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rent charges.The Government also asked the Regulation of Property Agents working group, chaired by Lord Best, to look at how service charges for leaseholders - and estate rent charges for resident freehold homeowners - could be made more transparent. The group also considered in what circumstances other fees and charges, such as administration charges or permission fees which affect both leaseholders and freeholders, are justified or whether they should be capped or banned. The working group published its final report to in July 2019 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report). We are considering the report’s recommendations and will announce next steps in due course.

Housing: Domestic Abuse

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to extend automatic priority need for housing to survivors of domestic abuse in need of a safe and permanent home.

Luke Hall: This Government believes it is vitally important that domestic abuse victims who are homeless, or are at risk of homelessness, are supported to find an accommodation solution that meets their needs and reflects their individual circumstances.In April 2018, the Homelessness Reduction Act came into force, which puts prevention at the heart of the local authorities’ response to homelessness, irrespective of whether they are a family or single person, what has put them at risk, or if they have a local connection to the area. This means that all victims of domestic abuse who are at risk of homelessness should be provided with an offer of support from their local authority to find appropriate accommodation.Under homelessness legislation a person who is pregnant, has dependent children, or is vulnerable as a result of having to leave accommodation due to domestic abuse already has priority need for accommodation. These duties, alongside new duties under the Domestic Abuse Bill, will ensure that all victims of domestic abuse are supported to find accommodation that meets their needs.

Local Plans

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of local authorities have an up-to-date local plan.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what deadline he has set for all local authorities to have an up-to-date local plan.

Christopher Pincher: It is essential for Local Planning Authorities to have up to date plan policies in place to plan for our housing needs and to provide clarity to communities and developers about where new homes should be built. It also helps ensure that development is planned for and is sustainable rather than the result of speculative applications.There are 9 Local Planning Authorities (3 per cent) without an Local Plan adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 Act that have not yet submitted their first plan for Examination. Once plans have been adopted, it is down to Local Planning Authorities to determine if these are up to date. This is to ensure that policies remain relevant and effectively address the needs of the local community.The Planning Inspectorate publishes Local Plan progress information at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-plans#monitoring-local-plan-progress.

Housing: Multiple Occupation

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what powers are available to local authorities to prevent family homes being turned into houses of multiple occupation.

Christopher Pincher: Change of use to a larger House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) housing more than six people always requires an application for planning permission. Such larger HMOs also require a license in order to operate.For houses up to six people who share facilities, nationally set permitted development rights allow a dwellinghouse (C3) to change use to a House in Multiple Occupation (C4) without the need for a planning application. This enables the change of use without placing unnecessary burdens on landlords and local planning authorities.Where there is sufficient evidence that it is necessary to protect local amenity or the well-being of the area, a local planning authority may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an Article 4 direction, after consultation with the local community.

Planning Permission

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications have been granted through the Permission in Principle application route to date.

Christopher Pincher: We do not currently collect data on Permission in Principle applications. However, from April 2020 local planning authorities will be required to provide data on Permission in Principle applications which will be published as part of the national planning quarterly statistical release.

Housing: Construction

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities are able to use the New Homes Bonus to fund refuse services; and how many local authorities use the New Homes Bonus for revenue spending.

Christopher Pincher: The New Homes Bonus is an unringfenced grant, this allows local authorities to use the funding as they see fit, as the Government recognises that authorities are in the best position to make decisions about local priorities. Authorities are expected to engage with their local community to decide how the money is spent. The Department does not monitor how individual authorities spend their allocations.

Flats: Insulation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress his Department has made on the release of funds to cover the cost of the remediation of unsafe aluminium composite material cladding on privately owned blocks of flats in London.

Christopher Pincher: Information on the progress of applications to the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund is reported in the monthly building safety programme data releases, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data.

Housing: Construction

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the joint-venture approach to housing development and regeneration; and if he will visit the Genesis Project in North West Durham constituency.

Christopher Pincher: The Government’s estate regeneration national strategy published in 2016 outlined the various ways in which the public and private sectors might work together to implement property development and regeneration projects.It is important that each of the options, and any variations, are properly considered and tested for a given opportunity. Each route will have implications for financing, procurement and project management. In many cases, the challenge of how to structure delivery is likely to be addressed by a combination of different approaches.

Private Rented Housing: Liverpool

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason his Department did not extend the landlord licensing scheme in Liverpool; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure the protection of tenants in the private rental sector in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency and (b) Liverpool.

Christopher Pincher: Liverpool City Council made an application for selective licensing under the condition of low housing demand across the whole city.The evidence provided by the local authority was carefully considered against all the relevant statutory conditions, including those contained within section 80(4) of the Housing Act 2004. The application did not meet the statutory tests because it did not sufficiently evidence the existence of low housing demand in every ward in the city, nor that every ward in the city would become an area of low housing demand. Selective licensing is part of wider robust enforcement powers available to councils to protect vulnerable tenants, tackle rogue landlords and support responsible landlords in the private rented sector, including civil penalties and banning orders for the most serious offences.

Clarion Housing Group

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many complaints about poor services by Clarion Housing Group were received by the Housing Ombudsman Service in (a) 2018-19 and (b) the first three financial quarters of 2019-20; and how many of those complaints (i) have been determined, (ii) are under investigation and (iii) are awaiting allocation to an adjudicator for an investigation.

Christopher Pincher: In relation to Clarion, the Housing Ombudsman Service received; a) in 2018-19; 444 complaints b) in the first three financial quarters of 2019-20; 347 complaints  Of these, 84 and 43 respectively entered their formal remit, 127 in total.Of these formal complaints,  i) 95 have been determined, ii) 6 are under investigation and iii) 26 are awaiting allocation.

Housing: Construction

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that new homes are built to the lifetime homes standard.

Christopher Pincher: Part M (Access to and Use of Buildings) of the Building Regulations sets minimum access standards for all new buildings. The M4(2) standard for accessible and adaptable homes, set out in statutory guidance, is broadly equivalent to the independent Lifetime Homes standard. Planning guidance on housing for older and disabled people published last summer strengthened the link between plan making and requirement M4(2) for new homes. Government will also consult shortly on raising accessibility standards, recognising the importance of suitable homes for older and disabled people.

Fuel Poverty: Older People

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support people aged over 60 who live in fuel poor households and (b) improve the energy efficiency of those households.

Christopher Pincher: We believe everyone should be protected against the cold in their home and the best long-term solution to addressing fuel poverty is to improve household energy efficiency. The Energy Efficiency Regulations 2015 sets a minimum energy efficiency standard of Energy Performance Certificate Band E for private rented properties. Pensioners also receive financial support to ensure they can keep their homes warm. Winter Fuel Payments provide pensioners with between £100 and £300 to keep their homes warm during the winter. Those on Pension Credit also receive a £140 Warm Home Discount rebate.

Ministry of Justice

Terrorism: Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners convicted of terrorist-related offences  were released on temporary licence in each of the last three years.

Lucy Frazer: Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) enables offenders to participate in activities outside of prison, directly contributing to community resettlement, helping with their rehabilitation and development of a purposeful, law-abiding life. There is no entitlement to ROTL. It is discretionary and only allowed following a robust risk assessment of each offender. Following the Fishmongers’ Hall attack, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) acted quickly to strengthen safeguarding measures around ROTL. No terrorist or terrorist-risk offender will be released on temporary licence (ROTL) until their risk has first been assured by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice Joint Extremism Unit. We will continue to review this policy moving forward. The requested information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Please find a table showing the number of people in custody for terrorism-related offences between September 2016 and September 2019.Number of persons in custody for terrorism-related offences (Great Britain) 30 Sep 201630 Sep 201730 Sep 201830 Sep 2019Total169213224224

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders that received a (a) first and (b) second or subsequent immediate custodial sentence have previously served (i) no, (ii) between one and four, (iii) between five and nine and (iv) more than 10 community sentences in the latest year for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: Data for the year ending March 2019 on the numbers and proportions of offenders receiving their first, or a second or subsequent, immediate custodial sentence, broken down by the number of previous community sentences they had previously served, can be viewed in the attached table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 17.88 KB)

Pre-sentence Reports

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on trends in the level of sentencing of pre-sentence reports not including the option of a suspended sentence.

Lucy Frazer: Following the Sentencing Council’s 2017 guideline on the Imposition of Community and Custodial Sentences, which noted the status of suspended sentence orders as a custodial sentence, guidance was issued to National Probation Service staff. The guidance instructed staff that suspended sentence orders should not be recommended as a distinct option from custodial sentences, when requested to deliver a pre-sentence report to the court.Since the change in guidance, there was a decline in the proportion of suspended sentences in 2018. However, the determination of the most appropriate sentence for an offender remains a matter of judicial discretion, based on the offender before the court and having regard to sentencing guidelines. It is not possible to attribute the change in guidance to the trends in sentencing outcomes.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the trends in the prison population of (a) male and (b) female prisoners over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The table below contains annual male and female prison population as at 30 June each year since 2010. DateMalesFemalesTotal30-Jun-1080,7354,26785,00230-Jun-1181,1894,18585,37430-Jun-1281,9254,12386,04830-Jun-1379,9893,85383,84230-Jun-1481,5803,92985,50930-Jun-1582,2893,90486,19330-Jun-1681,2723,86285,13430-Jun-1781,8564,00785,86330-Jun-1878,9703,80382,77330-Jun-1978,9403,77082,710 The data are based on snapshots and do not provide an indication of all prisoners who have entered custody within the timescales shown. The data are derived from the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) which is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly All data shown are based on the prison population at 30 June of each representative year. This tool has been designed for high level analytical purposes only. The detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. While the figures shown have been checked as far as practicable, they should be regarded as approximate and not necessarily accurate to the last whole number shown in the tables. They are fit to be used for comparing the relative magnitude of components. We keep the prison population and capacity under careful review to ensure that there are always sufficient spaces for those sentenced to custody. In August the Prime Minister announced an investment of up to £2.5bn to transform the prison estate and provide 10,000 additional prison places, on top of the 3,360 already being delivered at Wellingborough and Glen Parva.

Knives: Crime

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of all sentences for (a) possession of and (b) threatening with a knife were custodial sentences in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has published information on offenders sentenced to custody for possession of and threatening with a knife, up to December 2018, which is available in the detailed offences ‘HO Code data tool’, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx In each case, in the field labelled ‘Detailed Offence’, filter by: ‘Having an article with a blade or point in a public place’, ‘Having an article with a blade or point on school premises’ and ‘Unauthorised possession in prison of knife or offensive weapon’‘Threaten with a blade or sharply pointed article on school premises’ and ‘Threaten with blade/sharply pointed article in a public place’ The proportion of those sentenced who received a custodial sentence can be found by dividing ‘Immediate Custody’ (Row 41) by ‘Sentenced’ (Row 33).

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national prisoners from each country were convicted of each offence type in the last year for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: Any foreign national who comes to our country and abuses our hospitality by breaking the law should be in no doubt of our determination to punish and deport them. More than 51,000 foreign national offenders have been removed from the UK since 2010, and in the last financial year more than 5,000 were removed from prisons, immigration removal centres, and the community. The table attached provides the information on the offence types for foreign national prisoners.  



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 28.35 KB)

Open Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for which offences were prisoners in open prisons or open wings of closed prisons serving their sentence as at 1 January 2020.

Lucy Frazer: Re categorisation to security category D and allocation to open prison is not a right or an automatic progression. Only prisoners who have been risk assessed as manageable in very low security conditions will be transferred to an open prison. In cases of life sentenced or indeterminate sentenced prisoners the Parole Board will make a recommendation as to suitability for open conditions. The attached document shows a table of Sentenced prison population recorded as having a Category D individual-level security category as at 31 December 2019, England & Wales. This includes 'Female Open' and 'YOI Open' categorised prisoners. It should be noted that whilst the majority of these prisoners would be held in open conditions (either in open prisons, or on open wings within closed prisons) a number of these prisoners would be in non-open conditions while awaiting transfer to open conditions.



Attachment
(PDF Document, 30.1 KB)

Homicide: Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been murdered since 2017 by people who were previously convicted of murder and then released having served their prison sentences.

Lucy Frazer: Serious further offences are very rare. Fewer than 0.5% of offenders under statutory supervision are charged with a serious further offence.Anyone convicted of murder is sentenced to a mandatory life sentence. The convicted murderer is eligible for release on life licence only once he has completed the minimum term (tariff) specified by the Court at the point of sentence. It falls to the independent Parole Board to determine whether to release a life sentence prisoner who has completed his minimum term and the Board will direct release only where it is satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the purposes of public protection for the prisoner to remain confined. Section 21 of Criminal Justice Act 2003 sets out the starting point for the sentencing Judge to impose a whole life tariff in cases where an offender has been previously convicted of murder. Whole life orders are the most severe form of punishment, such sentences have no tariff and no possibility of parole board release. Since 2017, three1 2 people have been murdered by offenders subject to supervision on a life licence for murder at the time. This figure includes two victims who were included in the data provided to answer PQ 140689 from the last session. This figure only includes convictions for murder by life sentence prisoners on supervision that have been notified to HMPPS.Data Sources and Quality. We have drawn these figures from administrative IT systems which, as with some large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent research his Department has commissioned on the cost implications of increasing magistrates sentencing powers to 12 months for a single offence; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to increase magistrates' sentencing powers to 12 months for a single offence; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has no current plans to increase magistrates’ custodial sentencing powers and has made no recent assessment of the impact of doing so.

Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prosecution

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of participation in out-of-court disposals on re-offending rates.

Lucy Frazer: The latest statistics for adult re-offending rates following police cautions can be found at tab C1ahttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/861981/proven-reoffending-jan18-mar18-3-monthly.odsNote that reoffending rates are not available on the full range of Out of Court Disposals (OOCDs). The Ministry of Justice supported pilots (2014-2015) by police around greater use of OOCDs with conditions attached. We published an evaluation of these pilots which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/718947/adult-out-of-court-disposal-pilot-evaluation.pdf and an additional 12-month follow-up proven reoffending analysis report which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/out-of-court-disposals-pilot-cautions-reoffending-analysis

Legal Systems: Islam

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has allocated funding from the public purse to sharia councils in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has not funded the operation of sharia councils in the last three years, as these organisations are not part of the justice system. Community organisations may apply to various Government Departments for a range of grants for particular purposes. A list of grant schemes run by government departments can be found at gov.uk.

Rape: Convictions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the conviction rate for rape involving (a) female and (b) male victims was in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Lucy Frazer: Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes that can have a long-lasting impact. We are committed to ensuring that these appalling crimes are tackled effectively and victims have access to high quality support services that meet their needs. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and sentencing in England and Wales, up to December 2018. This information, relating to specific offences, can be found using the Outcomes by Offence data tool. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx Filter by offence to include the following offences:19C Rape of a female aged 16 or over.19D Rape of a female aged under 16.19E Rape of a female child under 13 by a male. 19F Rape of a male aged 16 or over.19G Rape of a male aged under 16.19H Rape of a male child under 13 by a male. The number of individuals prosecuted will be shown in row 24 and the number of individuals convicted will be shown in row 25. The conviction ratio can be calculated by dividing the number of individuals convicted by the number proceeded against – note that this is a simple ratio of the number of convictions in the year with the number of prosecutions and so is not ‘matched’, ie. Many convictions in a year will relate to prosecutions figures that will be counted in earlier years.

Prisoners: Homosexuality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) male prisoners are gay and (b) female prisoners are lesbian.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many individuals in (a) male and (b) female prisons are recorded as being transsexual.

Lucy Frazer: The attached table provides a breakdown of prisoners who have identified as gay or lesbian. Data on the number of transgender prisoners is released as part of the Offender Equalities Report 2018/19. The most recent figures were released in November last year and noted that there were 163 transgender prisoners as at the end of March 2019, representing less than 0.2% of the total prison population at that time. Transgender prisoners were defined as those individuals known within prison to be currently living in, or are presenting in, a gender different to their sex assigned at birth and who have had a case conference (as defined by PSI 17/2016 The Care and Management of Transgender Offenders). Further information can be found at the following link;https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/848759/hmpps-offender-equalities-2018-19.pdf We are committed to ensuring that gay, lesbian and transgender prisoners are treated fairly, lawfully and decently, with their rights and safety properly respected. Regardless of where an individual is being held, we expect that they will be respected.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.13 KB)

Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prosecution

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to place the offences committed by offenders who participate in out-of-court disposals on the Police National Computer and make them available to courts dealing with any future offending.

Lucy Frazer: Simple and Conditional Cautions and Penalty Notices for Disorder are recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC). Police cautions (simple or conditional) issued for recordable offences appear on court file disclosures. There is currently no mechanism for recording other out of court disposals (OOCDs) on the PNC system. However, other OOCDs, including Community Resolutions, are currently held on the Police National Database (PND). A new information recording system for police forces, the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS) is being developed which will hold a fuller range of OOCD data nationally.

Courts: Digital Technology

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what risk assessments took place to ensure that workplaces were suitable and safe for the introduction of digital working in court rooms using the (a) Digital Markup Service and (b) common platform.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court rooms have been assessed for (a) general health and safety standards and (b) their suitability for digital working in the last 12 months.

Lucy Frazer: I am answering these questions together. HM Courts and Tribunals Service’s Health and Safety policy requires that a trained general risk assessor inspects each court room on a quarterly basis to ensure it is compliant with health and safety standards, and to report any non-compliance so that remedial work can be undertaken. Where Display Screen Equipment is used, including courtrooms across the estate into which we are continuing to introduce digital ways of working as part of our Reform Programme, the policy requires that workstations must comply with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (as amended). Accordingly, the designated Senior Person on Site at all of our court and tribunal buildings is required to ensure that each workstation is routinely assessed; any non-compliance is reported and remedied; and any risk is appropriately mitigated. We do not collate centrally details of the numbers of courtroom assessments that have taken place over particular periods. Instead, the HMCTS Corporate Safety & Security team seeks and receives regular assurance from senior managers about compliance with these and wider requirements.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Sick Leave

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days off sick HM Courts & Tribunals staff took in each month of (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

Lucy Frazer: We have provided the number of working days lost due to sickness, however, this figure does not take into consideration those who work part time, so we have also included the Working Days Lost by Full Time Equivalent (FTE), which takes this into account and is a more accurate reflection. As well as short absences, this includes those on long term sickness and any other unplanned, unavoidable leave such as family bereavements etc. The table below provides the sick leave per calendar year for 2018 and 2019.2018 Jan-18Feb-18Mar-18Apr-18May-18Jun-18Jul-18Aug-18Sep-18Oct-18Nov-18Dec-18Working Days Lost1515012935126731092010846961210228102839666123301238111245WDs Lost x FTE13064.1711127.2710974.759387.969403.478342.488959.868980.138268.1910559.8710639.779663.14 2019 Jan-19Feb-19Mar-19Apr-19May-19Jun-19Jul-19Aug-19Sep-19Oct-19Nov-19Dec-19Working Days Lost13226110991081799769669971911019970510519102801216311942WDs Lost x FTE11409.749601.4799222.9498589.9588256.5058337.5929493.5368485.6079050.3868814.96310446.8310336.58

Coroners

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to create a national oversight body to ensure recommendations from inquests and Prevention of Future Death reports made by coroners are collated, monitored and implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: A person (or body) who receives a coroner’s report to prevent future deaths has a statutory duty to give a written response with details of any action that has been taken or proposed, along with a timescale for implementing this; or an explanation as to why no action is proposed. For deaths in state custody, the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody brings together the relevant government departments, agencies and stakeholders to improve policies and processes for keeping those in custody safe. There are currently no plans to create a wider national oversight body along the lines suggested for all prevention of future death notifications.

Coroners

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death reports his Department has received from coroners relating to deaths in prison in the last three years; and what assessment he has made of whether the recommendations from those reports were collated, reviewed and implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Since January 2017 85 Prevention of Future Death (PFD) reports have been addressed to my Department by Coroners following inquests held into deaths occurring in prison custody. We are committed to learning from the findings of inquests into deaths in custody, and I am grateful to Coroners who make PFD reports after them. All such reports addressed to my Department are collected centrally in HMPPS, and careful consideration is given to the matters of concern raised in them. The Director General for Prisons responds personally to the Coroner in each case, explaining how the concerns raised have been, or will be, addressed, locally in the establishment, and at national level where there is wider learning to be shared or a policy issue has been raised. Any local actions are taken by the Governor and monitored by the Prison Group Director, and wider learning is disseminated nationally by the central prison safety team and incorporated into the relevant guidance and policy at the earliest opportunity.

Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on ensuring more effective prosecutions of cases involving (a) rape and (b) other sexual offences.

Lucy Frazer: The Secretary of State for Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions meet regularly to discuss a number of joint workstreams in the Criminal Justice System, including rape prosecutions, and most recently met in January. Both the Secretary of State for Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions are committed to working together to ensure rape and other sexual offences are prosecuted more effectively. It is encouraging that the CPS is working with the police to develop new ways of working to improve case progression, digital capability and disclosure, expertise, supporting victims, and stakeholder engagement.

Fraud

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce a corporate offence of failure to prevent fraud and money laundering.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is considering the case for reforming the law on CCL and will publish a response to the Call for Evidence in due course.

Tenants' Associations: Tribunals

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases resulted in a tribunal hearing under the Tenants’ Associations (Provisions Relating to Recognition and Provision of Information) (England) Regulations 2018 in the first 12 months since that statutory instrument came into force; and in how many of those cases was a tenants' association recognised by the tribunal.

Lucy Frazer: The table below shows the number of cases that resulted in a First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) hearing under the Tenants’ Associations Regulations 2018 in the first 12 months of it coming into force and the number of tenants’ associations recognised by the Tribunal. Number of Tribunal hearings that took place under Tenants’ Associations Regulations 2018Number of Tenants’ Associations recognised by the Tribunal 65Data source: Operationally Sourced Case Management DataThe above data was generated on a different date to the information contained in quarterly published statistics and was produced specifically for this enquiry.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and is the best data that is available at the time of publication.

Offences Against Children: Convictions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders convicted of cruelty to children in the last 12 months for which information is available were (a) men and (b) women.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and sentencing in England and Wales, up to December 2018. This information, relating to specific offences and defendant characteristics, can be found using the Home Office code principal offence data tool. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx(then filter by offence ’11 Cruelty to or Neglect of Children’. Then drag the ‘Sex’ filter into the rows field. The number of a) males, b) females and c) individuals of unknown sex convicted of this offence are shown in rows 36, 37 and 38, respectively). The proportion of male and female convictions can be calculated by dividing the number of a) males and b) females by the total number of convictions (shown in row 156).

Crimes of Violence: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people convicted of violent offences did not receive an immediate custodial sentence in each of the last two years.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and sentencing in England and Wales, up to December 2018. This information, relating to specific offences, can be found using the Outcomes by Offence data tool. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx Filter by offence group to ’01: Violence against the person’. The number of individuals a) convicted, b) sentenced and c) received a sentence other than immediate custody are shown in rows 25, 26 and 27-35. The rate for each disposal can be calculated by dividing the number of individuals sentenced to that disposal by the number sentenced.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received a (a) custodial and (b) non-custodial sentence for assaulting a prison officer in each of the last two years; and what the average custodial sentence was for those offences.

Lucy Frazer: These offences can be dealt with in the courts, or in many cases, through prisons themselves. Centrally held court data (including for the new offence of Assaults on Emergency Workers and broader violent offences) does not identify the location of the offence or occupation of the victim, so it would only be possible to identify these from court data with a manual search, incurring disproportionate costs.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders sentenced to custody have served less than half their full sentence term due to early release in the most recent 12 months period for which such information is available.

Lucy Frazer: Currently, prisoners sentenced to a standard determinate custodial sentence must be released automatically at the halfway point of their sentence and serve the second half on licence. Those sentenced to at least 12 weeks but less than four years may be released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) up to 135 days before the halfway point, depending on sentence length. They must meet strict eligibility criteria and will be liable to recall to prison if they fail to comply with strict electronic monitoring and other conditions attached to their release.   HDC is a robust scheme which allows prisoners to work towards rehabilitation and resettlement in the community, while remaining subject to strict conditions. If they breach these, they face being returned to custody. Research on early release with electronic monitoring has shown no increase in re-offending despite the early release.   Children sentenced to a Detention and Training Order (DTO) serve the first half in custody, and the second half in the community. Most children serving a DTO of 8 months or more can be released one or two months earlier (depending on the DTO length) than the normal mid-point of sentence.   In 2018 the number of people released on HDC in England Wales was 14,769, which is 21 % of all prisoners released that year. The number of people released early from a DTO was 215, which is 0.3% of the total number of releases that year.  Prisoners may also be released early before having served half the sentence under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS). Under this scheme offenders liable to removal from the United Kingdom who have served at least a quarter of the sentence may be released before the halfway point solely in order to facilitate their deportation. Prisoners may also be released early on compassionate grounds (ERCG) before they have served half the sentence. Relevant data on releases under ERS and ERCG are not collated centrally.

Reoffenders: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders had the time spent on tagged curfew deducted from their subsequent prison sentence in the most recent 12 months period for which such information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average amount of time deducted from an immediate prison sentence was for offenders who had been on a tagged curfew prior to their sentence being handed down in the most recent 12 months period for which such information is available.

Lucy Frazer: Data relating to bail conditions including tagged curfew is not held centrally on court systems.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adjudications there were per 100 (a) male and (b) female prisoners in the last 12 months for which such information is available; and how many of those adjudications related to incidents of violence.

Lucy Frazer: The prisoner discipline system upholds justice in prisons and ensures incidents of prisoner rule-breaking have consequences. The Ministry of Justice monitors adjudication outcomes by offence, age, gender, ethnicity, religion and type of adjudication, this data is published quarterly. The information requested can be found in the table below: Number of adjudication outcomes, by sex; per 100 prisoners (using the prison population average for Q4 2018 to Q3 2019); Q4 2018 - Q3 2019, England and Wales  Male  Female   Adjudication outcomesPrison populationRate per 100 prisonersAdjudication outcomesPrison populationRate per 100 prisoners   Total202,81079,03325711,4233,806300   Violence35,08379,033441,7153,80745 Data sources and quality The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.  Source: PQ 518 (Ministry of Justice; DASD-JSAS)

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were released on temporary licence in each month in the last three years.

Lucy Frazer: The attached table shows the number of individuals who were released on temporary licence each month in 2016, 2017 and 2018. All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a thorough risk assessment before being considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL). Research published in 2018 indicates that ROTL helps to reduce re-offending. It helps offenders to build and maintain family ties and find work, which are a critical aspect of reducing the £18 billion annual cost to the taxpayer of reoffending.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.14 KB)

Grandparents: Access

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce statutory access rights for grandparents to their grandchildren.

Lucy Frazer: The Government understands the difficulties that some grandparents face in continuing relationships with their grandchildren following disputes arising from parental separation. We also recognise the importance of ensuring that the child’s welfare is paramount in court decisions regarding future arrangements for them following parental separation. We wish to understand the outcome of the President of the Family Division’s consultation – which concluded last year - on recommendations for reforming how child arrangements cases are dealt with by the family court before deciding whether any specific proposals are needed in respect of child arrangements and grandparents.

Prison Service: Staff

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in prisons.

Lucy Frazer: We recognise the need to recruit and retain staff to keep our prisons secure. We have invested significantly in increasing staff numbers, recruiting an additional 4,581 (full time equivalent) prison officers between October 2016 and September 2019, surpassing our original target of 2,500.Since April 2017, governors have been empowered to manage workforce planning locally, and set their own staffing arrangements, including the number and grade of operational prison officers and other staff to be employed within their financial resource envelope. A ‘detached duty’ scheme is also in place to ensure that those prisons with urgent staffing needs can be prioritised.We will continue to recruit officers and we are investing £100 million to bolster security, to ensure prisons are safe and decent for both staff and prisoners.

Debts: VAT

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2020 to Question 9643 on Debts: VAT, when his Department plans to publish guidance on the circumstances and manner in which a cost equivalent to VAT may be recovered from the debtor under the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) 2014.

Lucy Frazer: As Chris Philip set out in his Answer of 6 February 2020 to Question 9643, the Ministry of Justice intends to publish guidance on the circumstances and manner in which a cost equivalent to VAT may be recovered from a debtor under the Taking Control of Goods legislation, as soon as possible.

Pregnancy: Alcoholic Drinks

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the findings of the study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology on 29 January 2020, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of drinking alcohol during pregnancy on children's (a) intelligence and (b) weight; and if he will take steps to criminalise excessive drinking of alcohol during a known pregnancy.

Lucy Frazer: No discussions have taken place between the Justice Secretary and Health Secretary on this matter. Any decision on whether to criminalise excessive drinking of alcohol during a known pregnancy would be a matter for the Department for Health and Social Care.

*No heading*

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans undertake a review the cases of prisoners serving sentences for imprisonment for public protection.

Lucy Frazer: Our primary responsibility is to protect the public. Prisoners serving IPP sentences will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision. Many of these prisoners pose a high risk of committing further violent or sexual offences, and it would be wrong to simply release them en masse. For that reason, we have no plans to abolish IPP sentences or make other legislative changes. We are committed to providing IPP prisoners with opportunities to progress to the point at which they are safe to release. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) continue to review the cases of post tariff IPP prisoners who have failed to achieve release or progression to open prison conditions, despite two or more parole reviews, as well as those who received a tariff of 2 years or under. These Case File Reviews (CFRs) enable HMPPS Psychology Services to consult with Offender Managers in order to shape their pathway towards progression. To date, over 1,500 CFRs have taken place, with 284 IPP prisoners from this cohort having achieved release, and a further 355 a progressive move to open conditions. The CFRs are one of the actions in the HMPPS and Parole Board Joint Action Plan, which aims to support prisoners serving IPP sentences. Through the joint Action Plan, HMPPS prioritise post-tariff prisoners in accessing rehabilitative interventions, and deliver a number of initiatives, including the establishment of Progression Regimes at four prisons across the country. Progression Regimes work with prisoners serving indeterminate sentences, who are struggling to achieve release through the usual routes. There is clear evidence that these measures are working. IPP prisoners are being released in large numbers, and have a high chance of a positive outcome from Parole Board hearings. As of 31 December 2019, the number of unreleased IPP prisoners who have completed their minimum tariff was 1,985. This is down from 2,255 on 31 December 2018.

Treasury

Beer: Excise Duties

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the economic effect of small breweries relief on small brewers.

John Glen: We are conducting a review of Small Brewers Relief, and further announcements about this will be made in due course.

Gambling

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2020 to Question 8391 on Gambling and Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of monies raised by gambling duties to meet the costs to the public purse associated with gambling.

Steve Barclay: No assessment has been made. The Government has committed an extra £33.9 billion every year by 2023/24 for the NHS as part of its Long-term plan, which has been enshrined in law. The NHS Long-term plan includes a commitment to expand the coverage of NHS services for people with serious gambling problems, which includes plans to open around 15 clinics by 2023/24.

Temporary Employment: Taxation

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will undertake a review of the tax system to improve support for contingent workers.

Jesse Norman: The Government keeps all elements of the tax system under review and aims for the tax system to support all sections of the workforce effectively. Specifically, the Government has announced that it will review how it can better support the self-employed, including by making the tax system easier to navigate as well as improving access to finance and credit.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Scott Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of High Sped Two's construction costs will be recouped through (a) VAT, (b) corporation tax, (c) income tax and (d) National Insurance being levied on (i) the bodies contracted to construct the project and (ii) their employees.

Jesse Norman: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are unable to provide estimates on how much will be recouped from High Speed Two's construction costs.HMRC publish aggregate level statistics on annual and monthly revenue on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk

Average Earnings: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of trend in the level of average earnings in the North East.

John Glen: In 2019, the North East’s median weekly wages grew by 5.1%, the fastest of any region and nation in the UK in that year. We are investing in a £3.6 billion Towns Fund to level up our regions and create places where people want to live and thrive. As part of this, we are supporting towns across the North East – including Hartlepool, Redcar, and Middlesbrough – which have already been shortlisted to be eligible for funds targeting economic growth and regeneration.

Digital Technology: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the forecasted growth of the digital sector in the North East.

John Glen: Since 2010, output of the information and communication sector in the North East has grown by 55.4%, which is the third fastest growth rate for this sector across all UK regions and nations. The Government is taking steps to build on the UK’s highly competitive digital economy. For example, the government’s commitment since 2016 to invest an additional £7bn by 2022 in R&D is the largest increase on record. And the £21m invested in Tech Nation’s regional network is helping tech entrepreneurs across the UK to scale their businesses. The Digital Catapult Centre is helping local businesses in the North East boost productivity by encouraging the adoption of emerging technologies.

Leader of the House

Voting Rights: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Leader of the House, whether he plans to commemorate the scottish political martyrs of 1820 for supporting universal suffrage.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: The specific matter raised does not fall within my ministerial responsibilities, however the Hon member may wish to raise the issue with the House of Commons Commission directly.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of legal challenges to her Department's policy to remove (a) severe disability premium and (b) enhanced disability premium payments from claimants transferring to universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government remains committed to ensuring everyone receives the support they need, which is why we currently spend a record £55 billion a year to support people with disabilities. Universal Credit is a simpler system than its predecessor. By not replicating the SDP and other premiums, we have been able to target additional support to a wider group of claimants and create a more streamlined system. It is important that the Government can design policy and challenge court decisions, where appropriate, that seek to change that policy. As at 13 February 2020, the Department has spent £215,846.89 on legal costs defending and appealing the cases in relation to people formerly in receipt of Severe Disability premium that have transferred to Universal Credit. These figures include Government Legal Department litigation fees, counsel’s fees and other disbursements, as well as VAT where payable.

Department for Work and Pensions: Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in her Department in each of the last three years.

Mims Davies: The Civil Service aims to increase opportunities for people of all backgrounds and create a Civil Service fit for 21st century Britain through work experience, internships and apprenticeship schemes. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost due to the time and the cost to gather this data as it is not collated centrally.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Farmers: Government Assistance

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting farmers to (a) maintain existing and (b) develop new routes to market after the transition period.

Victoria Prentis: Food and drink exports are a success story. Exports have increased by 24% in real terms since 2010. The Government is determined to help maintain existing and develop new export opportunities. This includes through ongoing market access and via showcasing and promoting our excellent food and drink even more in the years to come. Exports are an important driver of growth in the food and drink sector, allowing it to become more resilient, competitive and profitable. The UK’s growing reputation for high quality food and drink, with high standards of food safety, animal welfare and sustainability, is an excellent platform to increase overseas demand for our products further. Defra’s ‘Food is GREAT’ campaign is raising the profile and reputation of British food and drink overseas by building global demand and increasing positive perceptions of the UK’s food and drink products, as demonstrated by recent campaign activity in Japan to promote beef and lamb exports from the UK, following opening up of market access last year. Defra, in collaboration with the Department for International Trade and representatives of the food and drink sector, is developing a replacement for the existing International Action Plan for Food and Drink, which will set out the future export ambitions for the sector. This includes reviewing the support we offer in market, building on the success of Defra’s first agriculture counsellor in Beijing. As set out in the Government’s election manifesto, we have ambitious goals for British trade. As of 31 January 2020, when the UK left the EU, we had successfully concluded and signed trade continuity agreements with 48 countries. This accounts for £110 billion of UK trade in 2018. We will be continuing our programme to replicate existing EU trade agreements with trading partners to ensure continuity for UK businesses following the transition period. An up-to-date list of trade continuity agreements, signed and in discussion, is available on the GOV.UK website at: www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-trade-agreements-with-non-eu-countries. We aim to have 80 per cent of UK trade with countries covered by free trade agreements within the next three years, starting with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. This will further present new routes to market for British farmers. We are also working hard to secure a free trade agreement with the EU that will provide tariff-free access to the EU market for UK goods, and facilitative customs arrangements that will ensure smooth trade.

Fish: Sales

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the average percentage variation between the live weight (a) shown on logbooks for  fishing vessels of 10m and over registered in England and (b) derived from sales notes for (i) cod, (ii) monkfish, (iii) brill, (iv) whiting, (v) gurnard, (vi) lemon sole, (vii) squid, (viii) megrim, (ix) plaice, (x) red mullet and (xi) John Dory in 2019.

Victoria Prentis: The following data shows the percentage change between the live weight of landed catch as recorded in logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes, for the species referred to, as reported by English administered over-10 metre vessels landed into UK ports in 2019. This information is based on data currently held by the Marine Management Organisation. It should be noted that this data is yet to go through full validation checks, undertaken each year in advance of publication of the UK Annual Sea Fisheries Statistics. In addition, whilst valuable for initial cross-checking, the logbook is essentially a diary record of fishing activity maintained by skippers and not the formal landing declaration which documents the precise weight of landed catch.  Logbook, landing declaration and sales note live weights for selected species reported by English administered over 10 m vessels landed in to UK ports: Unvalidated data 2019 nei = not elsewhere includedSpecies NameLogbook Live Weight (tonnes)Sales Note Live Weight (tonnes)Landing Declaration Live Weight (tonnes)Logbook to Sales Note Percentage ChangeLogbook to Landing Declaration Percentage ChangeAnglerfishes nei4,0922,9074,167-29%2%Atlantic cod5,7502,6605,652-54%-2%Brill22825125510%12%Common squids nei122264185116%51%European plaice1,4841,5151,5422%4%Gurnard8538729702%14%John dory10613813730%29%Lemon sole5946447288%23%Megrims nei840795841-5%0%Red mullets36464728%30%Whiting2,2062,2582,3792%8% Source: UK Fisheries Administrations

Agriculture: Import Duties

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of removing agricultural tariffs on US imports on the viability of small and medium sized UK farms.

Victoria Prentis: There has been no specific assessment completed of the impacts of the removal of tariffs on a bilateral basis on the viability of small and medium sized farms. Defra will consider the interests of all farmers, producers and consumers in the formulation of the Government’s future trade policy, including for a future trade agreement with the United States.

Trees: Imports

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what procedures are in place to ensure that invasive tree pests and diseases are not imported on trees for plantation; whether additional steps will be taken to improve biosecurity after the transition period; and what biosecurity standards to prevent the import of invasive tree pests and diseases will be applied to new free trade deals that the UK agrees with (a) the US and (b) other countries.

Victoria Prentis: The UK has robust controls in place to protect against tree pest and disease threats. These include being the most prolific user of the EU Protected Zone system, comprehensive official inspections and surveillance, and a statutory notification scheme for certain tree species imported from the EU. The UK operates under WTO obligations and will apply the EU Plant Health Regulation (which came into force in December 2019) until the end of the Transition Period. This risk-based regime prohibits or controls the import of high risk plants and planting material from third countries. The UK frequently uses national measures to enhance these biosecurity provisions. Horizon scanning for any new and emerging threats associated with tree imports is carried out continuously and the results are considered monthly by all UK Plant Health Authorities, facilitated by the Defra chaired UK Plant Health Risk Group. The UK Plant Health Risk Register (UKPHRR) is the principal screening tool used for this purpose and all outputs are published. The UKPHRR now has over 1000 entries (300 of which can impact trees), informing decision making and prioritisation in relation to tree health threats. UK legislation is updated on a frequent basis to protect against new and revised threats. After the Transition Period, the UK will continue with our risk based approach to maintain strong biosecurity protections. We will maintain our own autonomous sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regime to protect plant health and the environment, reflecting our existing high standards. The UK will introduce import controls on EU goods at the border and will continue to have controls on other third country goods. This will allow the UK to keep our borders safe and bio-secure. The UK is proud of its world-leading biosecurity standards. We will not lower our standards nor put the UK’s biosecurity at risk as we negotiate new trade deals. We are already considering what additional measures it might now be appropriate to introduce against key threats such as Xylella fastidiosa and the Emerald ash borer. In planning for all scenarios, we have always had three key objectives: to maintain current high levels of UK plant health biosecurity; to maintain the flow of goods at the border; and to minimise impacts on businesses.

Sharks: Conservation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a limit on the number of each shark species caught in UK territorial waters.

Victoria Prentis: The UK strongly supports the need to ensure scientifically robust catch limits are in place for all shark species exploited commercially within and outside of UK territorial waters. The Common Fisheries Policy, which we will continue to follow during the transition period, already provides a framework for the protection and management of sharks within UK waters. Beyond this, the UK will continue to use the most recent scientific advice when setting Total Allowable Catches and Quotas. Landing prohibitions remain in place for angel shark, basking shark, white shark, spurdog and porbeagle shark. Owing to the often highly migratory nature of elasmobranchs, as they move across national and international boundaries regularly, it is important that management is implemented throughout the range of the species rather than in isolation. Therefore, the UK continues to press for the establishment of scientifically justified catch limits for commercially exploited sharks within international Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to develop a system for a full range of public goods; what steps her Department is taking to ensure that system is (a) equitable and (b) transparent; and whether decisions taken under that system will be open to appeal.

Victoria Prentis: The Agriculture Bill will introduce ambitious new schemes in England, based on the principle of “public money for public goods”, which will allow us to reward farmers and land managers who protect our environment, improve animal welfare and produce high quality food in a more sustainable way. Our Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme is the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy. Founded on the principle of “public money for public goods”, ELM is intended to provide a powerful contribution to achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, while supporting our rural economy. We are working closely with a range of environmental and agricultural stakeholders to collaboratively design the new ELM scheme so that it is fit for purpose. We are currently running a programme of Tests and Trials, the priorities for which are the building blocks we will need for the National Pilot, due to commence in late 2021 and run to 2024. The National Pilot will provide a critical opportunity to test and refine the scheme design prior to full roll out of the ELM scheme in late 2024 across England. Clause 3 of the Agriculture Bill provides the Secretary of State with the power to make regulations to check, enforce and monitor the conditions of financial assistance provided under the Bill. This includes the power to establish a mechanism for appealing against decisions. Clauses 4 to 6 of the Bill also require the publication of multi-annual financial assistance plans, annual financial reports and impact and effectiveness reports. This transparency will enable public scrutiny of our future spending plans and the extent to which Government funding for agriculture, horticulture and forestry activities has been delivered on a value for money basis.

*No heading*

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will take steps to encourage members of the public to adopt more (a) black dogs and (b) greyhounds, which are reportedly adopted at a slower rate than other types of dog.

Victoria Prentis: The Government advises anyone looking to acquire a pet dog to consider adopting a rescue in the first instance. Any dog, including the famous greyhound breed, is capable of providing owners with love, loyalty and pleasure for its owner and family. Animal rescue and rehoming charities are aware that black dogs can be harder to rehome than other colours and encourage people to adopt animals in their care, regardless of colour.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years.

Mr Alister Jack: In each of the last three years, the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland has offered a small number of work experience opportunities to people under and over the age of 16.Due to the small numbers involved, specific details cannot be provided to protect the privacy and identity of the individuals concerned.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the letter dated 26 January 2018 from the Panel of Experts on Yemen mandated by Security Council resolution 2342 (2017) addressed to the President of the Security Council, what steps she has taken to retake the decision to grant the licences for the transfer of components manufactured by EDO MBM Technology Limited UK as required by the Court of Appeal judgment of 20 June 2019.

Greg Hands: The Government continues to carefully consider the implications of the Court of Appeal Judgment for decision making and is progressing the work to enable the re-taking of decisions on the correct legal basis. No specific timetable has been set for this work to be concluded. We disagree with the judgment and have submitted a Notice of Appeal to the Supreme Court.

Trade Agreements: Tanzania

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Government of Tanzania on a bilateral trade deal.

Conor Burns: The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. This will grant duty-free quota-free access to UK markets for Least Developed Countries, including Tanzania. The UK hopes to discuss the possibility of a trade agreement in East Africa with Tanzanian partners in the near future.

Trade Agreements: Mexico

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the publication of negotiation objectives for trade deals with Mexico.

Conor Burns: The UK is committed to seeking to ensure trade continuity with Mexico after the Transition Period ends on 31 December 2020. We continue to discuss with Mexico how to transition the EU-Mexico Global Agreement so that it functions in a bilateral context from 1 January 2021. In August 2019 my Rt Hon Friend the Foreign Secretary (Dominic Raab) visited Mexico to sign the UK-Mexico Partnership for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth. This Partnership Agreement underlines an intention on behalf of the UK and Mexico to seek an even more ambitious trading relationship in the future.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband and  Mobile Phones: Banff and Buchan

David Duguid: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress the Department has made on the roll-out of (a) superfast broadband and (b) mobile data connectivity in Banff and Buchan constituency.

Mr John Whittingdale: The government has invested heavily in the Rest of Scotland project area, where the Banff and Buchan constituency sits, with £50 million of central government funding allocated. Superfast coverage in the constituency stands at 84.8%, up from 1.1% in 2012 Today, there is 84.8% 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators in the Banff and Buchan constituency, with 99.3% from at least one mobile network operator.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Offshore Funds

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department monitors the cash held by its subsidiaries in offshore bank accounts; and how frequently those subsidiaries report those balances to his Department.

Mr John Whittingdale: DCMS monitors the commercial bank balances of its Arm’s-Length Bodies (ALBs) held outside of the Government Banking Service (GBS) via quarterly returns and this is reported to HM Treasury. The returns include any cash held in offshore accounts.

Television: Licensing

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking with the BBC to ensure the continuation of the provision of free TV licences for people aged over 75.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle loneliness among people aged over 75 who cannot afford a TV licence from June 2020 and are not eligible for pension credit.

Mr John Whittingdale: The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC from June 2020. This reform was subject to public discussion and debated extensively during the passage of the Digital Economy Act 2017 through Parliament. The Government is disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC. In 2018 this government published the world's first government loneliness strategy and appointed the world's first minister with responsibility for tackling loneliness. In January 2020 we published our first annual report, highlighting the progress made so far.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in the Department in each of the last three years.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Civil Service aims to increase opportunities for people of all backgrounds and create aCivil Service fit for 21st century Britain through work experience, internships andapprenticeship schemes. DCMS does not run a central work experience scheme and therefore does not hold data on work experience placements for people under 16. The figures for people over 16 years old are as follows: 2017: 3 on the Summer Diversity Internship Programme 2018: 2 (1 on the Summer Diversity Internship Programme and 1 on the Autism Internship Exchange Programme) 2019: 5 (4 on the Summer Diversity Internship Programme and 1 on the Autism Exchange Internship Programme)

Television: Licensing

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to support people over 75 to (a) pay for a TV licence and (b) claim a concessionary rate for a TV licence.

Mr John Whittingdale: The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC from June 2020. It is for the BBC to set out the ways in which people over 75 can pay for a TV licence or claim the BBC’s concession from this date. The Government is disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC. The Government is committed to ensuring that older people receive the support they are entitled to and the DWP targets activity on engaging with people who may be eligible to benefits at pivotal stages, such as when they claim State Pension or report a change in their circumstances.

Gambling: Video Games

Alex Sobel: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will take steps to cap the amount of money players can spend on in-game purchases in video games.

Mr John Whittingdale: The government is aware of concerns around the potential for excessive spending in games, particularly by young people. These concerns are discussed in the recent DCMS Select Committee report on Immersive and Addictive Technologies. We are currently considering the Report and its recommendations and will respond in due course.We continue to work with industry and the age ratings bodies to encourage the use of parental controls that can disable or limit spending on devices, and welcomed the launch in January 2020 of the games industry’s Get Smart About P.L.A.Y. campaign encouraging parents to use parental controls and take an active role in their children’s gaming.